Berries and Cream
by KittenRainbow
Summary: In this story, King Bowser and Kamek have devised a special plan to bring Mario down once and for all. They have made a unique potion that will bring the victim into a deep, troubled sleep. And guess who they use it on? Please R&R, if you will! .:Rated M for later chapters and insanity:.
1. Chapter 1

_Will he live?_

This is the big question that everyone in Toad Town is asking about Mario. Ever since that horrible incident that happened at Bowser Castle, this is all they're talking about.

_Do you think he made it?_

_He had lost a lot of blood…_

_Mario, please don't die!_

Now, you may be asking yourself, "What's going on? What horrible incident? What happened to Mario? Why are you putting so much pressure on us?"

Well, I'll tell you, so don't interrupt me. This all started about a week (or two) ago, at an ice-cream bar. Yes, an ice-cream bar, you silly people._Ironic, isn't it? You all thought this story was going to be full of pretty unicorns and free tacos?_

_Well…__**you thought wrong! Tacos cost money!**_

Alright, the ice-cream bar is where everything happened...

"Yes, I'll have…a triple chocolate scoop, with berries and extra whipped cream," Mario said cheerily. "And as for Luigi, he'll have a double strawberry scoop with no nuts and chocolate sauce dripped all over it."

"That'll be 11.50, sir," replied Toadette, who was the waitress.

Mario was shocked. "_What? _Last week, Luigi and I ordered the exact same thing for _half_ that! What kind of stunt are you trying to pull on me?"

"Well, I'm terribly sorry, sir, but I don't make the prices here, I just enforce them," Toadette said, shrugging apologetically.

Mario grumbled to himself as he reluctantly pulled some coins from his pockets. "This better be worth it, then."

"Oh, don't worry, sir," Toadette said, cheerfulness coming back full blast. "We'll use the extra ripe berries imported directly from Yoshi's Island. You won't be disappointed, sir, I promise."

"Stop calling me _sir_!" Mario almost shouted. "I have a name, you know!" _Good manners were always appreciated, but the compulsive need to add "sir" to the end of every sentence was completely unnecessary, thank you. _

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir—er, I mean, Mario," Toadette apologized. "It's just that I try to be polite with you and all my other customers."

"Well, I don't like the name _sir_," Mario said. "It always makes me feel ancient somehow, like I'm a hundred years old."

Toadette seemed to relax a bit and nodded. "Omigosh, _I know right?_ When my neighbor Mrs. Fields (she's 72, by the way) calls me _ma'am_, I always feel as though I'm from the times of the Civil Shroom War, or something like that."

"I agree with you on five different levels."

"Well, please have a seat. Your ice creams will be ready in a bit," Toadette said.

Mario nodded and went to the booth where he and Luigi were sitting.

"So, have you asked her yet?" Luigi asked out of the blue.

Mario looked blank for a minute. "What?"

Luigi smiled. It was obvious he knew something that his brother did not. "The annual Shroom Ball that's coming up soon. Have you asked Peach yet?"

Mario blushed. "Well…I haven't really had enough time to ask her…and I don't think she'll have me as her partner."

"Oh, come on!" Luigi said, smiling wider. "I know you're been hopelessly in love with her since the first time you saw her. Go ask her! She needs to know how much you would like to _kiss_ her!"

"Luigi, _shut up!" _Mario hissed, his cheeks reddening even more. "She doesn't need to know that!"

Luigi ignored his brother and began to make kissy sounds. "_Mario and Peach, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" _He laughed, enjoying it.

Mario reached across the table and grabbed Luigi's throat with both hands. "I told you to shut up!"

"O-Okay, I w-won't make f-fun anymore!" Luigi gasped, trying to breathe.

"Mario! Your ice creams are ready!" Toadette called cheerfully.

Mario looked up, anger forgotten. He let go of his brother's throat and practically dashed over to the counter. Meanwhile, Luigi was coughing and gasping for air.

"Here you are! Nice and cold!" the waitress said brightly, handing over the two ice creams.

Mario stared doubtfully at his. "What are these reddish-black berries?" He gestured to the berries.

"Oh, those are the berries from Yoshi's Island! They're really good, they say!"

"Have you tasted them?" Mario asked.

"Uh…no, but…but I'm sure you'll love them!" Toadette said uneasily.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Potion

"Hmm..." Mario said, "Oh, well, you can't refuse ice-cream." Mario took the ice-creams and went to the booth.

The two then began eating. After a while, Luigi stopped suddenly and dropped the spoon. "Hey, this thing has_ nuts_! Didn't they listen? I said **no** nuts!" Luigi immediately pushed his chair back, stood up and walked to the counter. "Damn ice-cream bars, they don't even make it they way you want anymore! It was better in the fifties."

"Luigi, we didn't live in the fifties."

"Well, I liked them better that way!" Luigi snapped as he walked on to chew the waitress out (even though she didn't even make the ice-creams).

Mario rolled his eyes and continued eating. "My God, it's just nuts," he muttered to himself. He munched happily on the exotic berries. They really were good. Sweet, with a sharp tang that felt good in your mouth. But then, he tasted something bitter, as he were chewing on a leaf. The taste grew more and more bitter. Gradually, it came to the point that the sweet taste from the berries were all gone.

Mario spat out the berries. "Man, that tasted awful!" he said disgustedly.

Luigi came back to the booth with a new ice-cream in his hands. "Don't these people know how to follow orders?" he grumbled. Then he looked at Mario, who was still spitting berries out. "What? Did they not follow your orders, too?"

Mario shook his head. "No, the berries," he coughed. "I guess they were rotten."

"What is it with ice-cream bars nowadays?" Luigi said exasperatedly. "They never listen to you anymore!"

* * *

In Dark Land...

"Yes! I knew it!" laughed King Bowser from his seat on the throne. "I knew that Mario would eat those berries!"

"Yes, your Vileness," cackled Kamek. "I am glad that meddling waitress chose those particular berries, otherwise my plan would have never worked!"

"What do you mean,_ your plan_?!" snarled Bowser. He glared at his right-hand man with an evil glint in his eye. "**I** thought up the genius idea!"

Kamek shook his head quickly. "I'm sorry, your Vileness, I meant _your_ plan!" he corrected himself. "But please, remember that **I** made the special mixture myself. I spent hours trying to perfect it."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," muttered Bowser.

"Your Vileness, I have only one question," asked Kamek. "Why couldn't I just make a poison for Mario?"

Bowser shook his head. "It wouldn't do any good if he died just like that. No...It's more fun to splatter his blood against the walls. I prefer to torture him myself. It's better for me." He smiled deviously.

"Oh...when you do that...may I please have his head?" asked Kamek innocently. "I'm hoping to use it as an adorn for my new mantelpiece."

Bowser looked at his henchman with a disgusted look on his face, then smacked him across his head with his fist. "You know better than that! We made a deal! **I** get to have his head! You can have a royal cookout with the rest. Or make a rug with it."

Kamek looked away, disappointed. "I never get the really good things," he muttered quietly.

* * *

AN: Yeah...I know, it's harsh. But it's only the beginning.


	3. Chapter 3 - Breakdown

Bowser turned toward the screen, where he was watching everything unfold. "He'll never know what hit him," he sneered. "In one hour, he'll be snoozing like a baby, then you'll step in, Kamek, and then you'll-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," muttered Kamek. "I already know. I'm going to swoop in, collect some of his blood in that special jar I've prepared, then I'll come back here. It's _totally_ simple."

"Right," said Bowser, turning back to the screen. But then he turned back. "One question," he said. "How long is he going to be asleep?"

Kamek shrugged. "I don't know, a couple of hours."

"A couple of hours?" Bowser asked. Then he smiled. "That will be just _perfect_!" He began to laugh. "Oh, that will be absolutely _perfect_!" He rubbed his evil hands together. "Kamek, when you go, take the kids with you. I will give them instructions on what to do when they get there."

"What? Aw, _come on!_ I was hoping to go by myself! You know, in order to get the full jar of blood, I must be fully concentrated."

Bowser shook his head. "No, you will take them with you. I need them to carry out the exact instructions that I gave them." He pointed towards the door. "The potion will begin to work in a little bit," he said. "Go right now, and remember to take them with you."

Kamek turned towards the door. "He _has_ to leave me with the eight brats," he muttered angrily.

* * *

Back at the ice-cream bar...

Mario and Luigi were finally walking home.

"Hey, doesn't it seem warm to you?" Mario asked. He wiped his forehead and looked at the sun.

Luigi shook his head. "No. Why would it be? It's almost winter, and you feel warm?" He gave a slight chuckle. "Must be from the ice-cream," he said to himself.

Mario shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "I don't feel cold. I feel as though I'm burning from the inside." He fell silent.

They continued walking.

"Still feel hot?" Luigi asked, after a while.

Mario nodded silently. Then he yawned. "And I also feel tired." He rubbed his sleepy eyes.

"_What?_ It's barely noon!" Luigi was surprised. "How could you be tired now?"

"Well, I do," Mario said. He could barely keep his eyes open now. Everything seemed blurry. The colors seemed to run into each other and blend in, like a watery kaleidoscope.

His legs were getting stiff now. It was hard to move them.

"Hey, man, are you okay?" Luigi was getting worried. "You look as though you have a fever." Luigi placed his hand against Mario's forehead. "Holy mushrooms!" he exclaimed. "You are burning hot!"

Suddenly, Mario's legs buckled, and he fell down.

"Mario!" Luigi exclaimed.


	4. Chapter 4: Striking Vengeance

"I don't feel so good..." Mario muttered as he closed his eyes. His breathing slowed down considerably as he went into his subconscious.

"Oh, _no_!" Luigi exclaimed, almost panicking. "What am I gonna do...?!" Then his temper flared as he turned towards the ice-cream bar. "I'm going to press charges on you!"

He helped Mario to his feet. "Come on, Bro!" he said. "Let's get you home."

* * *

Later...

Kamek was swooping through Toad Town on his broom with all eight Koopalings in tow, in their personal Koopa Clown Cars. He was muttering angrily to himself. "Just because I'm his right-hand man doesn't mean I have to babysit all eight of his brats. Can't he give a me a break for once in my life? "

"Hey, we can hear you, you know!" Ludwig said, with his nose turned up. "We're here because King Dad gave us some _very _specific instructions!"

"Which are...?" Kamek rolled his eyes, not really expecting an answer.

"They're not for you!" Wendy snapped. "Since we are his eight precious pearls, he entrusted us with exact instructions that only _we_ can carry out!"

"_Eight precious pearls_? You've got to be **kidding**," Kamek said under his breath. "More like _eight bratty kids_."

"Shut up, Kamek, and lead the way!" Roy said rudely. "We don't have all day to listen to you whine!"

Kamek sighed. "I really need a vacation."

* * *

-Meanwhile, at the castle...

Mario was lying on his bed, sleeping like a rock. Luigi was talking with Peach.

"I just don't know what happened. He was perfectly fine one minute, and the next, he was _totally_ out of it. I don't get it..."

"Maybe it was something in the ice-cream," Peach suggested.

Luigi nodded. "That's what I thought. We are not going there again."

Peach turned toward Mario, and shook her head. She placed her hand on his forehead. "He's still burning up."

"Peach, go call a doctor, please," Luigi worriedly. "I don't like this. I don't like this _at all._"

Peach nodded and went out of the room. Luigi sighed and faced Mario. "I may not know what's wrong with you," he said, "But I hope you get better real soon."

After 5 minutes, Luigi stood up. "I have to use the restroom. I'll be right back." With that, Luigi walked out of the room. He would only be gone for a few minutes.

Hopefully...

* * *

-Outside of the castle...

Kamek was watching the action unfold from the window.

"Wow," he said. "The potion is working better than I thought." He looked at the open door which Luigi had came through. "I thought the Green 'Stache would never leave. " He gestured to the impatient Koopalings to be quiet (not that they would listen) and swiftly rode to the window. He opened it and signaled to Bowser Jr. to come over with his Koopa Clown Car.

The smallest Koopa rode inside the room, careful not to make too much noise. He glanced uneasily at Kamek, who nodded at him to continue. Bowser Jr. came over to Mario (still out cold) and picked him up.

"_Jeez!_" he managed to suppress. "_He's much heavier than I thought...!_"

"Without a sound, your Mini-Majesty!" Kamek whisper-shouted through the open window. "We don't want Green 'Stache or the princess coming in here!"

Bowser Jr. nodded and, with some effort, finally managed to load Mario into the Koopa Clown Car. He then proceeded to silently fly out the window, where his siblings and the Magikoopa were.

"Okay, now that's done," Roy said, much of his patience faltering. "Now what?"

Kamek gestured to the forest. "In there," he said. "Follow me."

* * *

In the forest, Bowser Jr. landed first. He (with more effort this time) unloaded Mario out of the Koopa Clown Car and laid him on the ground.

Kamek sprung into action first. First, he rolled up Mario's right sleeve. Then he took a long needle and a small jar (about the size of a mayonnaise jar) out. Taking out a small tube (like you would use for an IV), he connected both together. Then he took the needle and thrust it into one of Mario's veins. Mario winced but didn't wake up.

Kamek grabbed a small pump, and pumped some of Mario's blood out. Bit by bit, the dark red blood spilled into the jar.

"That looks gross," Bowser Jr. whispered.

Kamek nodded. "I know," he said. "And it's very painful, too."

When Kamek was done, he screwed the lid back onto the jar. He turned it upside down to make sure it was secure. Then he turned around, and yanked the needle out of Mario's vein. This time, Mario winced and opened his mouth, but remained asleep.

Because Kamek had yanked out the needle, his blood began to slowly spill out. Kamek looked at it, but didn't bother to do anything to help. Then he tucked the jar safely into his bag.

The Magikoopa stood up, satisfied that his work was done. "Okay, guys," he said. "What were Bowser's instructions for you?"

Ludwig, pleased to answer this particular question, stepped up. He smiled, and cracked his knuckles. "King Dad wanted us to..._settle scores_ with Mario here."

"Oh..." Kamek said, a bit surprised. "Is that all? Serves him right." He went over and sat beneath a tree. "Let me know when you're done," he said dismissively.

"Ready, guys?" Ludwig said. The other seven Koopalings cheered and cracked their knuckles. "Let's get him!" Bowser Jr. yelled happily.

Kamek watched as all eight Koopalings pounced on Mario. Some of their punches seem _very_ painful. He almost felt sorry for Mario, who couldn't even defend himself. The fight seemed too easy. He wondered how they enjoyed themselves, considering their target wasn't even conscious

After a few minutes, the kids backed away, panting. Kamek took a good look at Mario, and was shocked. He was roughed up pretty badly. He was sure that they even knocked out one of his teeth.

"Wow," he said. "You kids have been working out, haven't you?"

* * *

AN: Okay, the original version of this chapter was quite different, but I wanted to change it here, okay?


	5. Chapter 5: The Nightmare

"Yes we have," Roy said, showing off his muscles. "We're been preparing for this moment."

Kamek bent down and took a closer look at Mario. He saw that he was missing a tooth, his left cheek had a nasty bruise on it, and parts of his overalls were ripped. Other than that, he was covered in minor cuts and bruises.

"Well then, I got the jar, so let's go now." Kamek turned away and got on his broom. Everyone else got into their Koopa Clown Cars, except for Bowser Jr. He quickly bent down and took off Mario's shoes.

"I've always liked these shoes," Bowser Jr., smiling deviously. He put them on. They were a little too big, but Bowser Jr. didn't care. He liked them the way they were.

Kamek shrugged and led the Koopalings back to Bowser's Castle. "Whatever, let's just get the heck out of here."

* * *

-Back at Peach's Castle...

"What do you mean, he's gone?!" Peach screamed.

Peach and Luigi were standing by the bed where Mario once was.

"I seriously don't know what happened! I only left the room for five minutes because I had to use the restroom, and when I came back, he wasn't there!"

"Do you think Bowser might've...?" asked Peach, her voice trailing off. She looked wide-eyed at the bed.

Luigi shook his head. "No, I'm pretty sure Bowser wouldn't have done all this without kidnapping you in the process. I think someone else might have done this."

"Kamek?" Peach inquired.

"No, I think it might have been-"

"_Kamek!_" Peach shouted.

Luigi looked at Peach, dubious. "What makes you think it was Kamek?"

"I don't!" Peach pointed out the window. "Look!"

Luigi walked around and looked. Out of the forest came Kamek and the eight Koopalings. They were all laughing and chatting, as if they had just finished watching the season finale of _Magikoopa: Love and Lies_.

"_Okay..._I see Kamek and the Koopalings. What now?"

Peach pointed. "Look at Bowser Jr."

Luigi turned and saw Bowser Jr. with Mario's shoes in his hands. He was waving them in the air. "They're all mine now!" he said, laughing. "Mine, mine, MINE, mwahaha!"

"Oh, _no_," Luigi said. "It **was** Kamek! I bet Mario's in that forest!"

Peach nodded hurriedly. "Let's go!"

-In the forest...

Mario slowly opened his eyes. Everything was blurry and green, like a kaleidoscope that had been rubbed on until it could no longer show the images clearly. Somewhere, he heard a couple of birds chirping. He tried to sit up, but felt a searing sharp pain in his right arm. He tried to turn his head, but then he found he couldn't. He simply had _no_ strength left.  
All he could do was lay there. Mario thought of the horrible nightmare he had a few minutes ago. It was terrible, and it seemed very real.

* * *

_Mario first saw himself in a black void. He couldn't move anywhere at all (he was able to move his body though). He couldn't see, but he could hear. All he heard was voices. He couldn't make out the words, but he could definitely hear them. They didn't sound pleasant, either...just cold, vicious and mean. _

_ "Who are they...?" he wondered. "Am I dead?" Then he quickly shook the thought away. No, he couldn't be dead...could he?_

_ Then he felt a horrible pain in his right arm. He gasped and rubbed it, but it did little to help._

_ "What's going on...?" he asked himself, freaked out. "Why does it hurt?"_

_ The pain gradually grew stronger. And stronger. All of a sudden, it felt as though something was being drained out of him, like his energy. And it __hurt__. The pain slowly grew so bad, he felt as though his arm was burning. No, worse than burning. Like...like...  
_

_ He could find no words. _

_ "Somebody please help me!" he cried. But no one answered. He was all alone. Except for those voices. They were still there. They giggled. They taunted. They laughed. They were all around him, whirling, spinning._

_ Mario couldn't take it anymore. "Somebody__ please__ get me out of here!" he yelled. _

_ Then, he felt a pain so bad, tears were immediately brought to his eyes, against his will. This time, it was as if though his arm was being ripped apart from his body. He screamed and cradled his arm. But, although he could see nothing visibly wrong with his arm, he could still feel the terrible pain. _

_ Suddenly, he felt an invisible blow to his face, as if an invisible force had just decided to punch. Then another to his chest. Then another. And another. The blows kept coming. Mario felt like he was the sole victim surrounded by a tough gang, like maybe one of those kinds he had seen on those late horror movies with Luigi. The blows started to be more and more painful. It was becoming unbearable. Then he felt a final kick to his chin. Something become loose inside his mouth. "My tooth.." he realized. He lashed out at the invisible blows, but to no avail. They kept coming. _

_ Eventually, Mario couldn't keep up. He just couldn't. All the time he was there, he felt as though he was floating. Now he began to feel as though he was falling. He felt the air whipping his face. Then...__**BAM**__!_

_ Mario crashed onto the floor. It was still black. But at least the blows stopped. Now he could hear the voices talking again. They sounded happy, like they were finally satisfied. Then he heard Kamek's voice. He couldn't understand the words, but he was sure that it was Kamek speaking. "You'll pay for this..." Mario sighed as he closed his eyes. _

* * *

-Back to reality...

Mario shuddered as memories of that horrible scenario came back to mind. It seemed _way_ too much like a near-death experience, but he was relieved that it was over now.

He sighed and placed his left hand over his face.

"Mario!"

Mario took his hand away. Was that Luigi he heard? He looked around, but all he saw were the green nebulous trees floating overhead.

Then he heard rapid footsteps coming towards him. They came closer and closer, until they reached him. Suddenly Mario saw both Luigi and Peach looking at him, though they were still blurry.

"Oh, my God!" Peach cried. "Mario, who did this?"

Mario slowly turned to Peach. "It was the voices..."

* * *

AN: Too much...? I think not. :D  
Hope you like anyway! Read and review, please!


	6. Chapter 6 - Found

"Voices? What voices?" asked Peach.

"I heard...Kamek...talking," said Mario faintly.

"So it _IS_ Kamek's fault! Ooh, that nasty magikoopa's going to _get it_!" Luigi growled.

"Enough talk. Let's just get Mario to a hospital or something! Come on!" Peach stood up and took Mario's legs. "You take his arms."

Luigi nodded and took Mario's hands. As soon as they lifted him, Mario let out a yelp.

"_Stop! That hurts!_" he cried.

"What hurts?" Luigi asked.

Mario gestured toward his arm. Luigi rolled up Mario's sleeve, and he saw that Mario's arm had swelled up from the needle. (Kamek didn't exactly use the cleanest needle around). There was an incision near the inside of his elbow. It wasn't exactly big, but large enough. Luigi also saw that the vein had swelled up to a dark purple. Last but not least, lots of blood was spilling from the incision.

"My God," Luigi said softly.

"What? What is it?" Peach inquired. She took a peek. "Oh, my gosh," she said, completely shocked.

Then she snapped back into action. "Never mind that now. Luigi, grab his arms again. The more we wait here, the more time we waste."

She looked at Mario. "You're just going to have to bear it."

Mario nodded and closed his eyes.

"Ready?" Peach asked.

* * *

Luigi nodded. "Ready."

"Alright, then...Now!" She said, as they both lifted him up from the ground.

"_Aaarrgh!_" Mario cried, as he tried to bear the pain. It was unbelievably massive. His vein throbbed, and he fought to bear it.

After a few seconds, he shook his head. He couldn't take it anymore. "Put me down! _Put me down!_" he cried, tears streaming down his face.

Peach and Luigi put him down. "Now what are we going to do? The nearest hospital's five miles away!" Peach shook her head. She turned to Mario. "Do you think you can stand up?" she asked.

"I can try," Mario answered. He rolled over to his side and tried to stand. But then he felt something pop in his ankle, and he fell down. His ankle began to throb with pain. He bit his tongue to keep from cursing out loud.

Luigi began to walk back and forth, slowly beginning to panic. "What now? Mario can't walk, and we can't keep picking him up!" He began to cry. "My bro is bleeding to death, and we're in the middle of the forest, with no remedies! Why did this happen? Why?!"

Peach dabbed her eyes with a tissue. "Out of all the people in the entire planet, why did it have to be you?" she asked.

Mario suddenly got an idea. "One of you, run to the castle and get help!" he said. He cradled his right arm. "I don't know how much I can take this," he said softly.

Peach stood up. "I'll do it!" she said. She turned, and raced out of sight.

* * *

Mario and Luigi were alone.

"Bro, let me see your arm again," Luigi said softly. Mario took his hand away so Luigi could see.

Mario's right arm was saturated in blood. Every time he wiped some blood away, more came out. The area near the incision was purple, while the rest of his arm was a dark red.

"My God," Luigi said again.


	7. Chapter 7 - Finding Help

"Oh, Peach, please hurry!" cried Luigi.

* * *

At Bowser Castle...

Bowser was watching _Magikoopa: Love and Lies._ He had a cart of popcorn as he watched. "C'mon, you moron police, Jimmy is trying to get with _Dayana_, not _Susanna_!" He munched on a popcorn kernel. "These guys don't know nothing."

"Master Koopa!" yelled a green Koopa Troopa.

Bowser growled and threw the cart of popcorn at the Koopa. It barely missed him.

"That's _KING Koopa_ to you, you idiot! What do you want?"

The green Koopa cleared his throat. "Kamek has returned, along with the eight Koopalings! He requests to see you right away."

Bowser sat back down on his throne. "Let him in!" Then he turned to his guards. "Leave us."

The guards nodded and left.

Kamek flew in on his magic broom.

"Did you do it?" Bowser asked.

Kamek smiled and patted his book bag. "It's all here, Your Vileness. The jar is completely full, as you ordered."

"Excellent! The plan is working perfectly!" Bowser laughed.

"Daddy! Daddy! Look what I got!" Bowser Jr. called happily as he flew in the room in his Koopa Clown Car. He held up Mario's shoes.

"Where'd you get those?" Bowser inquired. Then he shook his head. "Don't tell me. Anyways," he said, let's go into the laboratory."

Bowser and Kamek left the main room and walked into a dark room. It looked like a eleventh-grade chemistry classroom, with all the perilous chemicals and dangerous substances lurking about in large test tubes, some labeled with extraordinary names: _Goomba Blood (Type A/B)_, _Koopa Troopa Bone Marrow_, _Shy Guy Brain Juice (LEFT SIDE OF BRAIN ONLY)_.

Kamek went to a special machine that had one opening and lots of weird tubes (probably for a special type of surgery or something like that. He carefully (but firmly) unscrewed the jar. Bowser stared at the dark red blood swirling inside. "Wow," he said, "his blood is much darker than I thought." Then he turned to Kamek. "How much did you take out?"

Kamek shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe half."

"You took HALF of his blood?!" Bowser shouted.

* * *

At Peach's castle...

Peach was running as fast as her legs could carry her. "It's a miracle that I learned to run in these high heels," she panted. "Problem is, I'm kinda outta practice..."

The castle was finally in sight. She burst inside. "Somebody please help!" she cried.

Toad came running up to her. "What's wrong, your Majesty?" he inquired.

"Where's the nearest doctor?! I need him right away!" she said rapidly.

Toad looked confused. "I thought that Mario was the doctor."

"RATS! I forgot! " Peach shouted. She ran up to Toadsworth's room. "Toadsworth!" she yelled.

"No need to yell, Princess. I'm right here," Toadsworth said calmly. "What troubles you today?"

Peach took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. "It's Mario! He's badly injured, and he's losing blood fast! And we can't move him, because his legs won't let him!"

"Holy mushrooms!" Toadsworth cried. "Show me where he currently is!"

"Come on!" Peach cried. She took Toadsworth's hands, and they both raced out of the castle.

* * *

-Back in the forest...

Luigi was getting desperate. Peach was nowhere in sight, and Mario was still losing blood.

"Peach! Where are you?!" he cried. He looked around wildly. Still no Peach. "Please!" he cried. Luigi looked at Mario. He had closed his eyes.

"Oh, NO!" Luigi cried. He shook Mario. "Bro! Wake up!" But Mario did not respond.

Luigi wiped his eyes. "Come on, Bro!" he said desperately. Luigi quickly placed his hand on Mario's chest, searching for a pulse.

_There!_ He felt a tiny heartbeat. It was slow. But it meant that Mario was still alive.

"Luigi!" Peach cried.

Luigi whirled around. Peach was heading his way with Toadsworth.

"Oh, thank God!" Luigi said, relieved. He turned to Mario. "You're going to be okay now!" he said to him.

"What happened here?!" Toadsworth said in a panic.

Luigi shook his head. "We don't know! All we saw were Kamek and the Koopalings coming out of the forest, and then we saw him here!"

Toadsworth looked around. "Where is all the blood coming from?" he asked.

Luigi lifted up Mario's arm gently. "Here," he said. "It's coming from this cut here!" He showed Toadsworth.

"Sweet mother of Fire Flowers," he said. Then he faced Peach. "Can you guys lift him?" he asked.

Peach shook her head. "We can't," she said. "He's too heavy, and if we picked him by his arms and legs, it would make that cut worse!"

Toadsworth nodded. "I'll be right back," he said. "I'm going to get a wheelbarrow, so we can put him in it."


	8. Chapter 8 - Broken Wheelbarrow

"Where are we going to get a wheelbarrow? We're like in the_ middle of the forest!_" Luigi cried. He was putting pressure on Mario's wound, so that the little blood that he had wouldn't leak out.

"I saw one on my way here. We can put him in there, so we won't have to strain ourselves. I'll be right back." With that, Toadsworth turned and ran off.

Luigi and Peach eyed each other. "I hope that shroom knows what he's doing," Luigi said, as a single solitary tear rolled down his face.

* * *

-Meanwhile...

Toadsworth was running to the wheelbarrow that he'd found. "It's gotta be here somewhere..." he muttered to himself. "I know I saw it; now where is it?" Finally he spotted it. It was dusty and didn't look well-conditioned. "Oh, well," he said. He took it and went back. Soon he noticed that the wheelbarrow made a creaky sound, like it needed to be oiled. And the metal was all rusted. Toadsworth hoped that the rust wouldn't hurt Mario.

* * *

-Back at the forest...

Luigi and Peach suddenly heard a creaking sound and looked around. They saw Toadsworth with the wheelbarrow. He seemed to be having difficulty moving it, because he was short.

"Here, we got it," said Peach, taking the handles.

Luigi took a long look at the wheelbarrow. "That looks like the broken wheelbarrow that Yoshi threw away a year ago."

Toadsworth looked dubious. "It does?"

Luigi shrugged. "Oh, well. That doesn't matter right now. We need to get Mario to a hospital right away." He grabbed Mario's legs. "Let's get him in the wheelbarrow."

Toadsworth balanced the wheelbarrow, while Peach and Luigi grabbed Mario's arms and legs.

"This might hurt, Mario," Peach said softly. She turned to Luigi. "Ready?"

"Ready," Luigi said, bracing himself. "One...two..."

"_Three!_" Peach and Luigi said together as they lifted him.

As soon as they did, Mario's eyes immediately opened. "_Aaarggh!_" he cried out in pain. "_That hurts!_" He tried to wiggle out of their grasp, but Peach and Luigi held him tight.

"Don't let go, Luigi!" said Peach, trying to keep up.

"I'm trying!" Luigi said, straining.

By this time, tears were spilling out of Mario's eyes. The pain was too much to bear. The vein in his arm felt like it was going to pop. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to wiggle out of their grasp. "Let go!" he cried.

Mario wiggled so much, he started to slip. He landed in the wheelbarrow with a CRASH! He sighed in relief and cradled his arm. He took several deep breaths and wiped his eyes.

Luigi and Peach stared at him. "_Seriously_, dude! We try to help you, and you make it more hard for us!" Luigi yelled. "What is wrong with you?! Can't you act like a normal human?!"

Peach gasped. "Luigi!"

Luigi looked at her. "What? It's _his_ fault! He shouldn't have wiggled like that!"

"I was in _pain_, Luigi!" cried Mario.

Luigi looked at him. "So? You always make it hard for us!"

"No, I don't!"

"Oh yeah?" Luigi asked. Then why do you always refuse to let us help you when you_ need_ it? You may think you're the man'o'steel, but I know you're just a weakling who doesn't want to admit that you need help when you do!"

The words hit Mario like a ton of bricks. His eyes began to fill with tears again. He couldn't believe that his own brother though of him that way.

Toadsworth cleared his throat. "Well, we better get moving." He began to push the wheelbarrow. Luigi walked in front, silently fuming to himself. Peach walked next to Mario.

"I-I'm sure he doesn't mean it," Peach said softly. Mario didn't believe her.

They were walking for a bit, when everyone began to hear a low creaking sound. Slowly, it grew louder and louder.

"Is it me, or does everyone hear that sound?" asked Toadsworth. Suddenly everyone heard a loud _CRACK_.

* * *

Then suddenly, the wheelbarrow broke into a million pieces. Some were tiny, while some were huge.

Immediately, Mario crashed into the ground. The impact knocked the breath out of him. "_Mamma mia!_" he gasped. He saw bright flashes of red, then everything slowly returned to normal. He felt something stab him from behind.

"Are you okay?" Peach asked worriedly.

Mario opened his eyes. "Something stabbed me," he gasped.

"What?!" Peach exclaimed. She looked all around. "I don't see anything. Where?"

"From behind."

Peach gently sat him up, and looked. "Oh.."

"What is it?" Mario asked.

"Ummm...it's a rather large splinter, and it's caught in your-" she couldn't bring herself to finish.

Mario turned the color of scarlet, which matched his expression quite nicely.

Peach took a deep breath. "I think I can pull it out," she said. She reached over and pulled the splinter from Mario's rear end.

"Ouch!" he said.


End file.
